Taking Flight (Part One)

The sunlight hit her face and turned the insides of her eyelids pink. She blinked and yawned, stretching out across the mattress. Practically overwhelmed with happiness, lately she’d found a new appreciation for everything. Since that day five months ago, when Jay had proposed, Kadi saw the world through new eyes. It had taken four, short, grueling months of tight packed planning to pull it off, but with the help of her mom and best friend, Kadi managed to throw together the wedding she’d always dreamed of.

In the ceremonial sense, Jay was the stereotypical groom; he’d never wanted a big fancy wedding. Even before he officially proposed, he’d hinted at eloping more than a few times. After the proposal he only began to try harder. They never fought about it, but Jay definitely cheated at the game. He knew she couldn’t think whenever he was touching her. If she couldn’t think, she couldn’t argue. Kadi had almost caved once just so he would stop teasing her. Needless to say, she avoided too much physical contact until the invitations were in the mail. He never really gave up, but with all those people expecting a wedding, Kadi was definitely not going to tell them it was cancelled.

“Please,” Jay begged.

“No.” Kadi smiled against his lips.

He kissed her for a long time as his hands caressed the back of her neck just the way he knew she liked it. Kadi sighed and melted into his arms.

“How about now?” He whispered.

“I already sent out the invitations.

He fingered the bottom of her shirt, pushing it up to expose her stomach. He brushed his lips across her bare skin. “Who cares? I don’t want to wait any longer.” His hot breath fanned out across her stomach as he spoke, making her shiver.

“I want to be married too, but this is my dream wedding.”

He worked his way up her torso. “I don’t want a wedding, I want a wife.”

She snorted. “I know.”

Helping her shimmy out of her shirt, he braced himself over her. “I just want you.”

Kadi helped him out of his shirt next. She just wanted Jay to shut up. “I want you too.”

He slid his hand up her leg. “Elope with me.”

“No.”

Kissing her sensually, he tried to persuade her without using words. He was a fantastic kisser; she couldn’t let him use that against her. Yet as Kadi tried to think resisting thoughts, she was very aware of his hands on her body. Jay pulled away and brought his hand up to trace her lips with his thumb. He practically begged. “Please just elope with me.”

Kadi wanted to be married to him but she was in love with her wedding too. She was tired of him pushing just because he didn’t care. It’s time to end this, she thought, weaving her hands through Jay’s hair and tugging lightly the way that made his body stiff. Bringing his mouth down to hers, she took control of the kiss, using her tongue to distract him.

“Run away with me,” he moaned, but it was more of a last ditch effort; he didn’t want to talk anymore and they both knew it. She traced along the edge of his boxers teasingly. “Let’s just resolve this later,” he breathed, and pressed his mouth back to hers.

After that, Kadi figured out how to make him forget what they were even arguing about. So she got her dress and her ceremony and that extremely romantic kiss at the altar in front of all their friends and family. As soon as his lips touched hers, it was like his body was sighing, like he was saying finally. Finally, he got his bride.

They’d been back from their honeymoon for a week, yet every night when Kadi went to sleep and every morning when she woke up, she whispered to herself, “Mrs. Kadi Sheridan.” And it still didn’t seem real. The proposal hadn’t even seemed real, and she’d known that was coming ahead of time.

“Kadi, the moment I saw you I knew you were the one I’d been waiting for. You’re the girl that every guy wants to marry, I’m lucky I found you first,” Jay said, down on one knee. He smiled, taking her breath away. “I’m just sorry it took me so long to find the right ring.”

She’d cried at the sight of the little velvet box every girls dreamed would be opened for her someday. She knew the ring was perfect, and she’d never have wished for a different groom.

Having known beforehand that Jay was going to propose, Kadi hoped it wouldn’t change her reaction. She hoped Jay wouldn’t notice. But it was perfect; nothing changed just because she’d overheard him telling Margaret, his sister and her best friend.

“Ooh, what’s that?” Margaret asked.

Jay had barged in as he always did to his sister. He also didn’t know Kadi was there. It wasn’t that she was hiding; she’d just happened to be in the other room when he arrived, and chose to stay there. Besides, she hadn’t found the yearbook yet .

“Well,” he paused. “Do you promise not to tell Kadi?”

Now she was intrigued.

“Yes,” Margaret promised, and Kadi could hear the smirk in her voice. She wouldn’t have to say a word.

Jay didn’t notice. “You swear?”

“Yes! Yes! I promise!" She shrieked.

Kadi waited behind the door to the other room with building anticipation.

”You better not ruin this for me.”

“Come on Jay, you’re killing me!”

There was some rustling around in a bag, a few moments of silence and then Margaret gasped. “Oh it’s beautiful.” She sounded choked up.

And before Kadi’s mind could even start whirring with the possibilities, Jay spoke in a quiet, reserved voice. “I’m going to ask her to marry me.” As if it wasn’t already obvious to the girl looking at the diamond ring.

Kadi’s mouth fell open and tears stung her eyes. She wanted to run out and hug him, to kiss him and say yes one hundred times. But she knew if she did that he would get upset. He always liked things perfect and she knew how much he’d be upset if he didn’t get to really propose, like the way he planned.

“Oh my God!” Margaret squealed. Kadi could tell she’d jumped on Jay by the small “oomph” he gave in response. “Okay you better go; Kadi’s going to be here soon.”

“For what?”

“We planned a girl’s night out.”

He hesitated. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Margaret snorted. “Please! I wouldn’t do anything you would do.”

“Margaret,” he complained.

Kadi smiled; Margaret had always been the wild child: bars, parties, clubs, all at sixteen. Jay knew Kadi wasn’t like that. She smiled at his concern for her, feeling all warm inside.

“Relax Lover Boy, we’re just going to see a movie.” A minute later the door shut and Margaret came running into the back room, barely giving Kadi time to move before the door flew open. “Oh my God! You’re going to be my sister!”

Kadi nodded and sniffled as the tears swam in her eyes. “I know.”

Margaret opened her arms and they embraced for a long moment. All Kadi could think was: I’m getting married!

If she were telling the truth, Kadi would have to say she hadn’t even noticed Jay in high school. She always knew he was there, but when she went over to Margaret’s for sleepovers he was just her quiet older brother who, thankfully, stayed in his room and out of their way. That was generally the way she liked it, until he came home from college a different person. Jay liked to call it “coming out of his shell.” But whatever it was, Kadi wasn’t the only one who noticed. Girls who had ignored him in high school began to flock to him. He was the same amount of tall with the same length curly hair and the same green eyes, but there was something different; maybe it was just the way he carried himself. Luckily for her, Jay was oblivious to the increased attention he was getting. Kadi had always been his one and only, she just hadn’t known it.

After Jay finally gathered the courage to ask her out, he eventually got around to telling her why he’d been so quiet. He was actually the typical annoying older brother; it was only whenever Kadi came around that he’d clam up. He holed himself in his room only because he was too chicken to talk to her. So if Kadi was telling the truth, she’d say that he was pretty much invisible to her when they met, but she liked to lie and just agree with Jay when he told people it was love at first sight.